Run It Back? Southside Christian’s Chances Of Repeating In 2021

Southside Christian throttled most of its opponents last fall, won every game by double digits and won its Class A championship game by more points (40) than any of the other four title-game winners. And while the Sabres were joined by four other eventual state champs who all won by considerable margins in their final games, coach Mike Sonneborn’s bunch is well-positioned to win it all again this fall. The personnel he has at his disposal is why. <strong>OFFENSE</strong> Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="89349" first="Ja’Corey" last="Martin"] put up one heck of an impressive sophomore campaign. It included 19 passing touchdowns - including four in the championship game alone - and just two interceptions. Martin received near-perfect protection from a line that is now anchored by [player_tooltip player_id="91241" first="Tyler" last="Sonneborn"] (pictured above). The Sabres lost a couple starters up front, but they’ve got some size in waiting and should adjust there quicker than maybe some larger-class programs would. <strong>DEFENSE</strong> The Sabres will lose a pair of ultra-productive tacklers in <strong>Charlie Harof</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id="59435" first="Zac" last="Zivitski"] to graduation. That likely means an increased roll for Class of 2023 linebacker <strong>Mikel Wright-Woodfield</strong> to make a leap next season. It doesn’t hurt that in front of him is one of the best defensive linemen in the entire state. [player_tooltip player_id="91186" first="Michael" last="Kennedy"] spent the entire shortened 2020 season blowing up offensive backfields and stuff the run from his spot in the interior.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>INTANGIBLES</strong> You may have noticed we didn’t say anything about Martin’s rushing above. That’s because, schematically, it could drive the Sabres’ offense even more than it did last fall. The now-junior topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark (to go along with his 1,000 passing yards) and added 16 touchdowns on the ground. Southside Christian will need to fill the gaps from losing its top two receivers from last fall, so it could lead to even more carries out of the backfield.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>